Too Good to Be True?

I started Leisure Group Travel during one of the greatest economic upswings in history. In the winter of 1999 the stock market was roaring, unemployment was at near record lows and our government was, get this, reducing the national debt!

It wasn’t long before the Twin Towers fell and travel came to a screeching halt. As our nation’s economic fortunes rebounded and wounds healed, people got back out on the road again, only to be undercut a few short years later by 2008’s financial crisis. It felt like we were starting over again.

Since then it’s been a steady rise back, and in 2018 the travel industry is experiencing another year of growth as major sectors—airlines, lodging, tour and cruise—are all reporting revenue gains. While this is certainly good news, it’s making some wonder when the other shoe is going to drop.

In a recent interview in Travel Weekly, Keith Baron, president of luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent, said, “It’s a little bit scary how good things are.” He reports that 2019 bookings are up “huge double digits over 2018, which was an exceptional year. But it makes us nervous when we look at the economy and how fragile it might be.”

I share some of his concern. Looking to the future, there are potholes in the road that, if not patched, could turn into sinkholes. Exploding student loan and government debt, trade wars and stagnant wages are but a few of the warning signs that this bull market might turn bearish. While we should be wary of all this, let’s not hide under our desks waiting for the boogie man. Enjoy good fortunes while they are here and ride the wave of prosperity. But at the same time, now’s the time to game plan for the future. The famous motivational speaker Les Brown said that in good times you pull it from your pocket, in bad times you pull it from your heart.

There are steps you can take to insulate your business so when there is that inevitable downturn you’re in a better position to “make your own economy.”